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HISTOEY OF DEXTAL SURGERY 275 ;

three hundred dollars, but after the court decided in I'avor of liis priority as
The inventor of uontiiiuous-gum, lie generously gave it to the profession." In
1851 Dr. Allen's agent visited Boston and issued twelve licenses, Dr. Haskell
and his partner paying one hundred and fifty dollars for theirs. '-The teeth
used then were plate teeth backed and soldered as for gold work, and then the
i)ody and enamel was applied as at present, only the lingual surface was not
covered."
Dr. John II. Meyer made continuous-gum dentures in wliich the entire
surface of the plate was perforated with siuall holes, thus reducing the weight
of the metal about one-half, and nuiking tlic most perfect attachment of the
body, the perforations assisting as small air-chambers (about 1893). An
up-to-date continuous-gum technic, accompanied with illustrations, by Dr. 6.
H. Wilson can be found in the "Dentist's Magazine"' for January, 1907.
Continuous-gum upper or lower dentures can be nuide with vulcanite
adaptation, the technic of which appears in the "American System of Dentis-
try," written by Dr. W. F. Litch.

PORCELAIX DEXTURES.

In the "Xews Letter," for October, 1854, Dr. Mahlon Loomis says: "The
making of sets of upper or lower teeth entirely of porcelain has been often
thought of but now I have demonstrated its practical utility, and patented it in
the United Stales, England and France." He also gives his technic.
In 1853 Dr. William E. Dunn, of Cleveland, Obio, began to study den-
tistry and soon afler to ex])eriment in all porcelain work, and in 18G7 took out
a patent which in part says: "The distinction between my invention and that
of Loomis is this: I take biscuited teeth and insert them into the vet plastic
plate in the matrix, the denture lieing then removed, biscuited, enamelled and
finished in the furnace. Loomis places in the matrix a sufficient amount
of porcelain material to form a denture, and then, by hand, gives the required
conformation to the teeth, all the material being yet in a workable condition
after which the denture is removed, biscuited, enameled and finished. We
both use porcelain alone, but I shape my teeth separately, and insert them into
the plastic plate, while Loomis carves his out of the mass which forms the
incipient denture." One of the questions for debate before the Xorthern
Ohio Dental Association at Cleveland in 1857, was: "Is the porcelain mode
of inserting artificial teeth, superior to other modes?" Dr. Dunn was asked
if he used a pyrometer when fusing the materials. He replied that he did
not. Entire dentures can be mounted on swaged plates of gold, silver or alumi-